I thought I'd share this...
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY.
He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the R.S.L. Club,
Telling stories of the past.
Of a War that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his mates;
They were heroes every one.
And 'tho sometimes to his neighbours
His tales became a joke,
All his mates listened quietly
For they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer,
For a Soldier Died Today.
He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived a very ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.
He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'tho a Soldier Died Today.
When Politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in State,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell of their life stories,
From the time that they were young.
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land.
Some jerk who breaks his promise,
And cons his fellow man ?
Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes of to serve his Country
And offers up his life ?
The Politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.
While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offers up his all,
Is paid off with a medal,
And perhaps a pension small.
It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times,
That our Bobs and Jims
Went to battle, but we still pine.
It was not the Politicians,
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us our freedom
That our Country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand.?
Or would you want a Soldier
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end ?
He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles,
That the Politicians start.
If we cannot do him honour
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say,
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
"A Soldier Died Today" by A Lawrence Vaincourt. It was eloquently read
by Grace McDonell of Year 10 at the Anzac Day Dawn Service held at the
cenotaph in Halliday Park. Grace had been invited by the Mitcham R.S.L
to participate, and her delivery respected the sombre mood of the
occasion